Bise's calculations were precise. Once the Bee King, Gutteres, joined the Dark Altar, her assassin organization could place a shackle on her unruly subordinates, preventing any betrayal.
Furthermore, the intelligence network of a top-tier assassin group would be invaluable to the Dark Altar, which currently suffered from a significant intelligence deficit.
Gutteres had been evasive regarding Bise's overtures. This wasn't due to the Dark Altar's lack of power, but rather his perception of them as a group of lunatics.
These madmen would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, and their actions made Gutteres, a killer with hundreds of lives on his hands, feel a chill down his spine.
Gutteres was acutely aware that cooperating with these individuals was akin to playing with fire. He could be implicated and fall into an abyss of despair at any moment, or worse, be assimilated by them and become a madman himself!
However, long-term cooperation was out of the question. Short-term collaboration, though, was a possibility.
Given the highly sensitive nature of both Bise and Gutteres's identities, they operated with utmost secrecy, even arranging meetings in secluded, rarely visited locations.
Gutteres's true identity was clandestine, and while Bise had reached a truce with the authorities, she knew she was a thorn in their side. If given the chance, they would not hesitate to eliminate her.
Even with her current formidable power, she couldn't withstand the might of missiles and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.
Soon, Gutteres's car pulled up beside Bise.
"Greetings, Your Highness, Queen of Vengeance! It is a great honor to meet you."
"Bee King, it would be an even greater honor if you would join our Dark Altar."
Bise's purple eyes fixed intently on Gutteres, making him feel as if he were being stared down by a venomous serpent.
"I am deeply honored by your invitation, but I am accustomed to a life of freedom and do not wish to be constrained. I hope you can understand."
Bise had already noticed dozens of killer bees, the size of human fingers, hovering about ten meters above them.
If she dared to make any move detrimental to Gutteres, he could, with a mere thought, send those bees swarming down.
In fact, inside the car, Martin's hand was hidden behind the car door, gripping a loaded micro-submachine gun.
"Mr. Gutteres, I am quite sincere. However, does such subtle maneuvering not chill the heart?"
Bise gestured upwards, pointing to the yellow jackets circling in the sky.
Gutteres showed no embarrassment at being exposed, instead, a wide smile spread across his face.
"Your Excellency, Queen of Vengeance, please do not misunderstand. These are merely self-preservation measures that have become a habit."
With a flick of his wrist, Gutteres signaled, and the bees swiftly dispersed in all directions, vanishing without a trace.
"Very well, I hope this was a misunderstanding. Mr. Bee King, you mentioned you wished to discuss business. We can begin now!" Bise stated directly.
"I recently accepted a bounty mission. The target is a superpowered individual, a very formidable one. Eliminating him will require considerable effort.
Therefore, I need your assistance. I request that you help me take down this target!
Of course, I hope you will keep this matter confidential..."
"What is your offer?" Bise asked directly.
"Twenty million US dollars. I have faith in your abilities, and I can pay the full amount upfront!"
"That is a fair price. However, I need to see who the target is before I decide whether to accept the mission and this price," Bise said coolly.
Gutteres turned and returned to his car, retrieving a document. He handed it directly to Bise. Upon reading the contents, Bise's pupils contracted sharply.
The target's name was Aurora Cuiette!
"Your Highness, I understand that this Aurora is exceptionally powerful. I believe she is no match for you! Eliminating her should be a simple task for you!"
"You are correct. I can kill her now, but I wish to know if this woman is operating alone, or if she is accompanied by formidable individuals."
Gutteres was taken aback. He had intended to conceal Ling Tian's existence, but he never expected Bise to ask such a question. It seemed Bise was not entirely unaware of Aurora.
"Uh... you are correct. She has an assistant, a young Chinese man. This individual is likely also a superpowered individual.
Not long ago, over forty of my gunmen ambushed Aurora. They were eliminated by Aurora and that young man, primarily the young man!"
Upon hearing Gutteres's account, Bise's expression changed immediately. The Chinese man accompanying Aurora immediately brought Ling Tian to mind!
"Who is that Chinese man? Do you have any information on him?" Bise asked urgently.
Gutteres spread his hands in resignation. "We searched for a long time but couldn't ascertain this person's identity. We only have a photograph..."
"Quick, let me see!"
Seeing Bise's uncharacteristic agitation, Gutteres felt a pang of annoyance. Did that young man truly possess such immense charisma?
However, to persuade Bise, Gutteres pulled out his phone and displayed a photograph.
The photo was not very clear, as it had been taken by a drone from over a thousand meters away. After viewing it, Bise's face showed disappointment.
Ling Tian had used a disguise technique, so his true face was not revealed.
Next, Gutteres played a video, which showed Ling Tian firing a Gatling gun at the biker gang.
The Gatling gun, with its terrifying recoil, was held steadily by Ling Tian as if it were weightless!
However, seeing that the person accompanying Aurora was not Ling Tian, Bise breathed a sigh of relief. She noticed that the man in the video looked nothing like Ling Tian, and his combat style was also different. He appeared to be a superpowered individual who relied on strength and physical enhancement.
"Alright, I accept the mission, but the price needs to be increased. After all, this man is not easy to deal with. If I am to kill Aurora Cuiette, I must first eliminate this man.
As you can see, the danger posed by this man is perhaps no less than that of Aurora Cuiette herself!
Therefore, the price must be raised!"